page_title: Asian badger
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Asian badger / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: The three species of the genus Meles: (M. meles), (M. leucurus) and (M. anakuma) Deutsch: Die drei rezenten Arten der Gattung Meles: (M. meles), (M. leucurus) und (Meles anakuma)
context_page_description: The Asian badger, also known as the sand badger is a species of badger native to Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Korean Peninsula and Russia.
context_section_description: Asian badgers are mostly lighter in colour than European badgers, though some forms may closely approach the former species in colour, if not darker, with smudges of ocherous and brownish highlights. The flanks are lighter than the middle of the back, and the facial stripes are usually brown rather than black. Unlike the facial stripes of European badgers, those of Asian badgers narrow behind their eyes and extend above the ears. The white parts of the head are usually dirtier in colour than those of European badgers. The light stripe passing along the top of the head between the two stripes is relatively short and narrow. They are generally smaller than their European cousins, and have relatively longer upper molars. They indeed appear to be the smallest of the three Meles badgers despite regional size variations, with the largest-bodied populations of the species found in Siberia where some populations are about the same size as the European badger. Body mass will typically range from 3.5 to 9 kg (7.7 to 19.8 lb) and length from 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in). The average weight of three adult males from Sobaeksan National Park, South Korea was 6 kg (13 lb).
caption: Comparative illustration of European badger (top), Asian badger (centre) and Japanese badger (bottom)
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